May 18, 2018

Blog Tour: Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson

"Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight. Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever. Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive."

I went into this book completely blind to the plot of the book and even what genre it was. All I needed to see was the cover and I knew that I had to read this book. Thankfully, the plot ended up being even better than I hoped. I'm not the biggest fan of taboo relationships but with Elyse's home life, it created a very interesting dynamic and background. Gabe's story was the one that had me hooked from the very beginning, I could have read an entire novel on just his story. I actually read this book in one sitting--in one night, I was completely absorbed by the story. These two different lives that just flow together so well create a stunning book. Overall, the plot is wonderful and the writing is excellent. There are parts however that are exaggerated and then left unsettled and details that seem important but end up being passed over. In the overall picture, it didn't make a difference, but it did leave me a little confused and questioning at points. Jennifer Donaldson's combination of stellar writing and a dark, enthralling plot creates a 2018 must-read. I highly recommend picking up this book if you enjoy thrillers and a little bit of mystery.Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

*A copy of this novel was provided in exchange for an honest review.

I actually also created a Pinterest board for this book. You can check it out here but this is a little teaser:

Stop by my Pinterest to see the rest!

Jennifer Donaldson graduated from Reed College and received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently lives in Austin with her family.Author Links:Goodreads | Twitter